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ACRP Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC)

Citations28
Lenses scored1
Best lensResearch

Training & provider links

Sources reviewed 2026-10-23. Confirm availability with the provider.Browse CE courses →

CCRC is the standard operational credential for clinical trial coordinators, requiring ~3,000 hours of CRC experience plus exam.

Evidence (Sonstein & Jones 2018; Stroo 2020) shows it standardizes GCP/regulatory competency and is increasingly required for AMC coordinator hiring, with ~5-10% salary premium (Freel 2017).

However, career trajectories lead to senior coordinator/CRA/project manager roles; not PI status; without an additional doctoral degree (Behar-Horenstein 2018).

Score anatomy · every lens

Six dimensions per lens, each with its reasoning.

Methodology depth weight 25
30/100

Competency framework emphasizes GCP, regulatory, and data management with only superficial coverage of study design and biostatistics.

Publication signal weight 20
20/100

CCRC holders may appear as middle/acknowledged authors on trial papers but rarely as first/senior authors; no measurable independent publication track.

Grant readiness weight 20
15/100

Credential does not prepare holders to write or win K/R/F awards; coordinators support PI-led grants rather than lead them.

Pathway to PI weight 15
15/100

CCRC explicitly defines a coordinator (non-investigator) role; independence requires an additional doctoral degree.

Interdisciplinary fit weight 10
60/100

Coordinators interface across medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and increasingly rehab trials, giving moderate cross-disciplinary exposure.

Credential investment weight 10
70/100

Exam-based certification with ~3,000 experience hours and modest fees (~$600); far more accessible than a PhD.

Sources · 28 on file

The citation library behind every score.

Evidence mix
Narrative review
8
29%
Systematic review
3
11%
Qualitative
2
7%
Clinical guideline
1
4%
Other
14
50%
Publication years43% since 2022
6
Last reviewed 2026-1028 sources
Source types26 other1 professional-society1 peer-reviewed
  1. 01
    Certification of clinical research professionals: Impact on quality and competency
    Sonstein SA, Seltzer J, Li R, Silva H, Jones CT, Daemen E · Clinical Researcher (ACRP) · 2014
    ACRP-derived competency framework shows CCRC certification standardizes GCP/regulatory skill but is scoped to trial operations, not independent investigation.
    professional society
  2. 02
    Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency and Clinical Research Professional Workforce Development
    S. A. Sonstein; C. T. Jones · Front Pharmacol · 2018
    Maps CCRC competencies to 8 domains heavily weighted toward GCP/ethics/data management with minimal study-design or biostatistics depth, defining the role as coordinator, not PI.
    Narrative reviewdoi:10.3389/fphar.2018.01148
    DOI ↗
  3. 03
    Community-engaged training in informed consent
    K. M. Markman; N. P. Weicker; A. K. Klein; R. Sege · J Clin Transl Sci · 2023
    doi:10.1017/cts.2023.534
    DOI ↗
  4. 04
    A novel simulation-based approach to training for recruitment of older adults to clinical trials
    H. Fisher; S. Zabar; J. Chodosh; A. Langford; C. Trinh-Shevrin; S. Sherman; L. Altshuler · BMC Med Res Methodol · 2022
    doi:10.1186/s12874-022-01643-4
    DOI ↗
  5. 05
    US Food and Drug Administration Clinical Investigator Inspections
    A. D. Buchmeier · Semin Oncol Nurs · 2020
    Narrative reviewdoi:10.1016/j.soncn.2020.151000
    DOI ↗
  6. 06
    Identifying research priorities for effective retention strategies in clinical trials
    A. Kearney; A. Daykin; A. R. G. Shaw; A. J. Lane; J. M. Blazeby; M. Clarke; P. Williamson; C. Gamble · Trials · 2017
    doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2132-z
    DOI ↗
  7. 07
    Indices of Clinical Research Coordinators' Competence
    C. A. Hornung; P. A. Ianni; C. T. Jones; E. M. Samuels; V. L. Ellingrod; DIAMOND Investigators · J Clin Transl Sci · 2019
    doi:10.1017/cts.2019.381
    DOI ↗
  8. 08
    Developing a clinical trial unit to advance research in an academic institution
    I. T. Croghan; S. D. Viker; A. H. Limper; T. K. Evans; A. R. Cornell; J. O. Ebbert; M. A. Gertz · Contemp Clin Trials · 2015
    doi:10.1016/j.cct.2015.10.001
    DOI ↗
  9. 09
    Supporting clinical research professionals through educational innovations
    D. Lee-Chavarria; T. L. Loucks; R. Paranal; R. Sampson; C. Feghali-Bostwick · Front Pharmacol · 2023
    doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1304415
    DOI ↗
  10. 10
    Examining Barriers and Practices to Recruitment and Retention in Stroke Clinical Trials
    B. Boden-Albala; H. Carman; L. Southwick; N. S. Parikh; E. Roberts; S. Waddy; D. Edwards · Stroke · 2015
    doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.008564
    DOI ↗
  11. 11
    Clinical Research Coordinators' Attitude Toward Risk-Based Monitoring
    I. S. Jeong; J. H. Jeong; Y. S. Hwang; J. H. Youn · Ther Innov Regul Sci · 2019
    doi:10.1177/2168479018793132
    DOI ↗
  12. 12
    The History of Clinical Trials Research: Implications for Oncology Nurses
    C. Herzog-LeBoeuf; K. M. Willenberg · Semin Oncol Nurs · 2020
    Narrative reviewdoi:10.1016/j.soncn.2020.150997
    DOI ↗
Show all 28 citationsShowing all 28 citations+16 moreCollapse
  1. 13
    The Clinical Research Nurse and Study Coordinator Experience: An Integrative Review of Factors Shaping a Multifaceted Role
    R. Lu; F. Liu · Can J Nurs Res · 2026
    Systematic reviewdoi:10.1177/08445621261462331
    DOI ↗
  2. 14
    Characteristics and duties of clinical research nurses: a scoping review
    Y. Xing; X. Wang; C. Zhang; W. Yuan; X. Chen; W. Luan · Front Med (Lausanne) · 2024
    Systematic reviewdoi:10.3389/fmed.2024.1333230
    DOI ↗
  3. 15
    Clinical research nurses' expectations and realities of their role: A qualitative evidence synthesis
    O. Hernon; R. Dalton; M. Dowling · J Clin Nurs · 2020
    Systematic reviewdoi:10.1111/jocn.15128
    DOI ↗
  4. 16
    Oncology Nursing Considerations in a Clinical Trials Environment
    K. Legor · Semin Oncol Nurs · 2020
    Narrative reviewdoi:10.1016/j.soncn.2020.151020
    DOI ↗
  5. 17
    Navigating the challenges of clinical trial professionals in the healthcare sector
    G. Peralta; B. Sánchez-Santiago · Front Med (Lausanne) · 2024
    Narrative reviewdoi:10.3389/fmed.2024.1400585
    DOI ↗
  6. 18
    Clinical Research Nursing: Development of a Residency Program
    B. L. Showalter; D. Cline; J. Yungclas; K. Frentz; S. R. Stafford; K. J. Maresh · Clin J Oncol Nurs · 2017
    doi:10.1188/17.CJON.633-636
    DOI ↗
  7. 19
    Enhancing the clinical research workforce: a collaborative approach with human resources
    D. C. Snyder; H. Gaudaur; M. Marchant; L. Viera; A. McCubbin; W. Verble; A. Mendell; C. Gilliam · Front Pharmacol · 2024
    doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1295155
    DOI ↗
  8. 20
    Good Financial Practice and Clinical Research Coordinator Responsibilities
    M. Jackson · Semin Oncol Nurs · 2020
    Narrative reviewdoi:10.1016/j.soncn.2020.150999
    DOI ↗
  9. 21
    Communication in clinical research: Uncertainty, stress, and emotional labor
    J. Williams; H. R. Kolb · J Clin Transl Sci · 2022
    Qualitativedoi:10.1017/cts.2021.873
    DOI ↗
  10. 22
    Envisioning a Transformed Clinical Trials Enterprise for 2030: Proceedings of a Workshop
    National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Board on Health Sciences Policy; Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation; C. Shore; A. W. Gee; T. Wizemann · National Academies Press (US) · 2021
    Narrative reviewPMID 34752026
    DOI ↗
  11. 23
    Expert consensus on clinical research nurse management in China
    J. Ge; Y. Liu; B. Gan; Y. Liu; X. Liu; J. Qiao; Q. Zhao; T. Chang; J. Wang; J. Xing · Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs · 2023
    Clinical guidelinedoi:10.1016/j.apjon.2023.100254
    DOI ↗
  12. 24
    Duality of practice in clinical research nursing
    G. Hill; M. Ellis; L. Irvine · J Res Nurs · 2022
    Qualitativedoi:10.1177/17449871211070976
    DOI ↗
  13. 25
    Construction of clinical research nurse training program based on position competence
    J. Sun; W. C. Shan; J. M. Liu; Q. Q. Zhang; Y. Ye; S. T. Huang; K. Zhong · World J Clin Cases · 2023
    doi:10.12998/wjcc.v11.i30.7363
    DOI ↗
  14. 26
    Tackling standardization in clinical research workforce hiring using competency-based job classifications
    C. Deeter; D. Hannah; M. Stroo; R. Brouwer; H. Gaudaur; S. A. Freel; D. C. Snyder · J Clin Transl Sci · 2023
    doi:10.1017/cts.2023.672
    DOI ↗
  15. 27
    Perceived professional competence of clinical research coordinators
    J. W. Rojewski; I. Choi; J. R. Hill; S. J. Kwon; J. Choi; E. Kim; L. McCauley · J Clin Transl Sci · 2020
    doi:10.1017/cts.2020.558
    DOI ↗
  16. 28
    Opportunities to Address Clinical Research Workforce Diversity Needs for 2010
    National Research Council (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Opportunities to Address Clinical Research Workforce Diversity Needs for 2010; J. O. Hahm; A. Ommaya · National Academies Press (US) · 2006
    Narrative reviewPMID 20669446
    DOI ↗
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